KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee men’s basketball standout Zakai Zeigler is one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, as revealed Monday afternoon by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The annual Bob Cousy Award, named after the Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard, celebrates its 22nd year by highlighting the top point guard in Division I men’s college basketball.
A midseason top 10 selection last year, Zeigler is a finalist for the prestigious honor for the first time in his career. The senior from Long Island, N.Y., is joined in the elite five-man group by Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., Marquette’s Kam Jones, Alabama’s Mark Sears and Purdue’s Braden Smith.
Zeigler is averaging 13.7 points, 7.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game this year. He has scored double-digit points in 24 of 28 contests, with 15-plus in 13 of them, including 10 of the last 13. The 5-foot-9, 172-pounder has recorded a half-dozen assists in 23 appearances, with eight-plus 13 times.
Ranked ninth in KenPom.com’s National Player of the Year standings and No. 11 in EvanMiya.com’s Player Ratings, Zeigler was on the midseason watch lists for the Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy and Wooden Award. He is also, for the third consecutive campaign, among 15 members of the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
Fan Voting for the Bob Cousy Award will begin March 7 on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process. The Selection Committee for the Bob Cousy Award is composed of top men’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2025 Bob Cousy Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date during Final Four weekend, along with the four other members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.
Last year, for the first time, a Volunteer took home one of the Starting Five honors, as Dalton Knecht claimed the Julius Erving Award.
For more information on the 2025 Bob Cousy Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com, as well as follow @hoophallu and #CousyAward on X/Twitter and Instagram.
Zeigler and fourth-ranked Tennessee (24-5, 11-5 SEC) wrap up regular season road competition Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET at Ole Miss, live on ESPN2 from the at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion in Oxford, Miss.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
